Stupienski directs Bordentown Post 26 past Broad St. Park Post 313

TRENTON — When a hitter is in a groove, the ball looks a lot bigger than it normally does. That’s been the case for Bordentown Post 26’s Gavin Stupienski.

Stupienski went 3-for-4 with a homer and had the game-winning RBI triple in the top of the seventh to lead Bordentown to a 9-7 win over Broad Street Park at Waterfront Park.
Post 26 led most of the contest until BSP rallied in the bottom of the sixth and took a 7-6 lead. But in the top of the seventh, Bordentown rallied, scoring three runs, and winning pitcher Joe Gutowski shut Post 313 down in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.

“The ball’s just looking like a balloon when I’m up there,” said Stupienski, who has been red-hot since the start of the American Legion season for Bordentown. “I really didn’t get worried when we fell behind, because I knew we’d come back.

“We had (Taylor) Steen coming up, and he’s our main guy, and once he got on, we just rolled from there. Then we started knocking people in. The ball just looks bigger to me right now. I’m killing it. I don’t know what to say. I actually started hitting the ball at the end of our (Hun) school season, and it’s just carried over. I guess I’ve kept the rhythm going.”

In the sixth, it was BSP’s Gerry Gomez that put Post 313 up with his fourth hit of the night, but base-running blunders hurt BSP on four separate occasions. In the sixth, it came away with four runs on four hits, but it should have been more as two base-running mistakes proved costly. Broad St. Park was looking to gets its first win of the season, but it didn’t happen.

Steen walked for Bordentown to lead off the seventh, and Heath Fillmyer singled, followed by a sac fly by Joe Gutowski making it 7-7. Then Stupienski stepped up and drove the ball deep down the right-field line into the corner for a triple, scoring Fillmyer. Stupienski crossed the plate next when Cullen Carter singled him home to add an insurance run.

Post 26’s manager Tom Dolan is hoping Stupienski doesn’t stop the way he’s hitting, as the win moves his team to 3-2. The longtime Bordentown skipper feels like it’s all starting to come together for the team, despite giving up the lead late.

“Gavin’s just a beast. I’m telling you he’s zoned in and one of our captains, and he’s just been carrying us; it’s just been unbelievable,” Dolan said. “He had a triple, a homer and knocked in the game-winning run. He’s just been on fire.

“I told him, I was actually joking with him, but I asked if he could close the game out, being he’s doing everything else for us. He said he had an inning left in him, but that’s what type of kid he is; he’s a leader, and he’s just in a zone right now.

“Team-wise, I knew we had the top of the order up, and I wasn’t worried when we got down. I knew we’ve been swinging good bats, so I had confidence and told the guys we were going to score at least two, and I knew that Joey (Gutowski) would shut them down.”

He did, but only after Stupienski’s third hit gave Post 26 the lead for good.